It has always been the case that at least several parameters of a newly installed elevator drive control system have to be adjusted during the installation phase of the system to achieve optimal riding performance of the elevator. In such cases, the design parameters are known in advance, and construction technicians, adjusters or mechanics can be instructed in the installation of new or modernized controls through utilizing relatively simple documentation on how and what parameters to adjust by means of potentiometers, variable inductors, hookups, jumpers, software, etc. It goes without saying, however, that special knowledge of the system behavior and sometimes expensive tools, such as oscilloscopes, strip-chart recorders, spectrum analyzers, protocol analyzers, etc., are necessary in order to properly set up the system.
As elevator systems become more complex and product lines more differentiated, the range of tools, the volume of instructions, and the specialized knowledge in order to carry out the setup process sometimes becomes quite burdensome and difficult to execute logistically with the proper personnel with the proper knowledge at the right place and time.
Attempts have been suggested to alleviate the burden on the installation adjuster by providing a portable personal computer (PC) having a data base and algorithm that presents menus to the adjuster for his easy selection of items by which the elevator system may be measured and tuned, using virtual measuring and tuning components operated by means of the programs of the computer. See, for example, European Patent Application No. 89 119770.9 published under Publication No. 0 366 097 A1 on Feb. 2, 1990. In that disclosure, the PC is temporarily connected to a microprocessor-controlled elevator system for operating as a virtual instrument so that the task of assembling and carrying a number of discrete measuring devices, e.g., an oscilloscope, a strip-chart recorder, and a spectrum analyzer, can be avoided by the simple substitution of a single "virtual" instrument capable of emulating any or all of these instruments. Moreover, the programs of the computer can be devised, according to that disclosure, to enable a single apparatus to be used for the tuning and measurement of the whole elevator system and to improve the standard of timing and measurements. The disclosure further suggests remote monitoring and tuning by means of telephone lines without entering the machine room which can be operated by technicians of different skill levels, depending on a hierarchy of skills as set forth. Large elevator groups or elevators similar to each other can be started up faster because tuning parameters can be transferred from one elevator to another. No separate measuring instruments are needed because the system employs a computer which comprises all the necessary virtual components, for example, in the form of icons symbolizing operations that functionally correspond to the operation of a real, physical instrument or component. It is easier to use virtual instruments than general-purpose instruments, and the designer can provide for different skill levels in carrying out tuning operations so that a person does not need a profound knowledge of the system in order to carry out the tuning operations as instructed by the computer program because the computer provides step-by-step guidance.
Another attempt to utilize the power of a computer to minimize installation-specific work is disclosed in U.K. Patent Publication GB 2 180 960 A, published Apr. 8, 1987, corresponding to Application No. 86 22202 filed Sep. 15, 1986. Prior to commissioning a lift, a test program maps all action means used in particular installation and their positions by sending out queries to various addresses representing all action means that are possible and by inferring the kind and number of action means present in the installation on the basis of the answers received. A test run is made in order to infer the geometry of the building and the distances between floors. All the necessary information is stored with a view to controlling the elevator permanently, based on the information so obtained. That approach seeks to eliminate much of the "contract engineering" work that is traditionally required for modifying a software "baseline" for each building in which a manufacturer's product is installed. It has been calculated, according to the disclosure, that the installation-specific planning consumes up to over 20% of the working time spent in making the lift at the manufacturing plant, when the lift is a standard product. However, this approach cannot eliminate many contract engineering functions, such as specific customer requests for particular types of service, speeds, and other options. Moreover, one of the more troubling adjustment problems is the relatively complex task of adjusting the drive system. Such cannot be even approached without further information on how or whether such a complex adjusting problem can be undertaken.
Setup problems can be especially difficult in drive systems which are used for modernization of older systems. In order to achieve maximum economy, some of the older and more expensive components of the system are retained, such as the elevator drive motor, hoistway components, wiring, and other components which have a very long life and which would be needlessly replaced. A problem can be that, in many cases, the original, historical design parameters for such older motors are not known (even to the original manufacturers or their successors), because a generation or more may have passed since the original installation. In that case, there is still a requirement for the modernization package to be tuned to the existing elevator installation and the wide range of possible parameter values is completely unknown.